I’ve participated in many kinds of retreats – youth retreats, silent retreats, discipleship intensives—and I even consider mission trips a beneficial retreat. These days I’d like to attend a retreat that comes with a stack of books and time to really read and engage them. And not just any books; I want to read children’s books.
I’d start with all the books my mother read me as a little boy. I’d read Willy Woo the Big Red Fire Truck and hear her 23-year-old mom voice, not yet worn down by the worries of aging and all that accompanies it. And I’d remember learning courage.
Next: Where the Wild Things Are. I’d curl up next to my father on a Saturday after cereal and coffee (mostly cream and sugar). He did the voices, and it tickled me all over. I always think of Max when I read the story of the prodigal son and his “wild rumpus.” Maybe Max is the prodigal son who is welcomed home despite his crimes against his parents. Even if we occasionally want to be “wild things,” a home base of discipline and love is the best place to be. And that would remind me of the grace of God, always present and patient.
I’d read The Lorax, and I’m off traipsing through the woods and searching for Truffula trees. Dr. Seuss taught me to appreciate those trees, and not cut them down and become a “Once-ler.”
“But those trees! Those trees! Those Truffula Trees! All my life I'd been searching for trees such as these.”
And those trees would recall my rootedness in God’s creation. Down in North Carolina is the farm I call home, and it’s where I retreat in adulthood. Many of my children’s books are there, awaiting a future generation of little Long children. Those stacks have grown while raising three kids of my own.
Now that I’m a new grandpa, I’ve picked up How to Babysit a Grandpa. When I’m down at the farm I occasionally pull them off the shelf and unpack the joyful memories of family now gone on and of the deep truths that their lives (and the books) offered. They are little “retreats” of their own, and it’s time for me to be a spiritual guide for another generation of kids.
Retreats take us on a journey inward and outward, toward God and away from the world for a short time. Retreats create space for God’s grace to mend the broken parts of us that need healing or strengthen us for the journey. A retreat can be a five-minute children’s book—or days of silence and prayer.
How do you retreat? What children’s book do you think should be on my retreat list? I’d love to hear about it at gary.long@bgav.org.
Gary Long is BGAV's chief marketing officer.
